What a day, 5 of us fronted up for some much needed overgrown track training and what a blast it was. We were on the bikes by 9am the sun was shinning and within 5 mins we where on our first unused track and as soon as we where on it own came the rain. It was then off with the goggles and on with the safety glasses, but it was major fog up time, so for the next 2 odd hours it was stop start to clean the glasses.
After the first track it was 2 or 3 klms to the next unused area which is Garys bit with lots of sandy berms and eventually leads down to one mother of a creek crossing which at this time was running like a river, Gary took a different line for a change and ended up to his nuts in water, it was interesting how we all took different lines and all had lots of extra exercise to cross then it was fun doing the rutted rooted hill climb out of the area.
Straight away we were then into the unused track which I did my shoulder on in HTFU 3 so it was with a little more care this time and to the end without issue, then onto the unused track that eventually leads to the famous staircase, as I stopped for a defog the others went around me and as I went down the staircase by pass track the four where at the bottom looking up at the staircase waiting for me to come down and as I went around them asked who was going to give it a go, no fuckin way was the answer from them all.
Anyway we then headed over land to the Paris area and did a recently exposed unused trail due to the recent logging of the forrest, so we did the big climb and then back down again and then headed for the Pines to find a great old trail that we used to ride down and we found a new entry where it is now possible to go up instead of down which everyone seamed to enjoy, we then made our way to the multi intersection camping ground for lunch.
After lunch we headed up the rutted out track to Beards to go looking for a unused track that we seamed to have lost over the last couple of years. Finding the entry is no problem but as before we were exiting it way to quick, so it was back around the block to the start and then took the fork which we didn't take the first time, it was not long before we found John Ts love child had been out there with some green paint and marked the trail for us, it was as good as it ever was and not long before Phil got stuck coming out of a gully, he started overheating but eventually he slid back down for another go and nailed it without any other dramas with the extra commitment.
We then headed for the fence line and I thought you know there is more on the other side of the main track, so a quick turn around and we were into John Ts kids other half and boy that was fun, Colins bike was overheating so at the regroup when I suggested we go back and do the whole lot as a oner, Col was like I will wait here and let my bike cool down so I can put some water in it, Phil was like, I better wait here just incase some boogie man comes along to scare Colin, so the other 3 of us headed of to do it again, 24mins of bliss with 4mins taking out to cut a bypass around a dead stump that was in the way.
Soon we where back with Col and Phil and we where off, originally I was going to do the fence line but was feeling it in the legs by now so decided to do some open stuff down to the bog holes and then eventually back to Beards, we then went in hunt of more unused tracks and boy did we find a mixture, dead ends with mother climb back outs, boring and then the good old ones Brad liked running along with the road eventually popping us back out onto Beards. We then headed back to the pines around Paris to do that awesome unused hill climb through the pines once again and then head back to the carpark returning just after 2pm with around 70odd klms done and with five smiling faces and 5 very dirty bikes. Gary had done tail most of the day so he was full of energy on the last shitty climb back to the carpark hosing me, col and Phil but Trev wasn't letting him get away chasing his exhaust smoke all the way back. Packed and gone just after 3 after the usual shit stirring and home and bike washed and away by 4.30. Perfect Sunday Mmmmmm
Thank you to the other 4 for coming along I hope you all had fun cause I did. Willbar.
